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Hosted Projects - Non-FreeSpace => Freelancer and MechCommander => Topic started by: RizZen on January 03, 2021, 07:26:57 am

Title: MCG Prometheus - Ideas, Reports & Suggestions
Post by: RizZen on January 03, 2021, 07:26:57 am
Hello MechCommander,

here you can enter all what you would like to tell me about your personal experiences with Mechcommander and my MechCommander mods.

Let's see if i may help you - or you may perhaps help me to make MechCommander - Prometheus - the future of MechCommander - any better!


(https://media.moddb.com/images/articles/1/290/289617/auto/qMXKr5s.jpg)
Left: Clan Wolf Campaign Edition Prometheus Menu; Right: Original Davion/Steiner Vanilla Darkest Hours Menu

"No serious bugs or problems were found.", UnknwnDoomer

Thanks for the list!


Bugs & Minor issues list:

      Current project:

Legend: Orange = Mission infrastructure and in-mission descriptions will be the next project - those missions are in the work folder!

Already-Done list (latest or upcoming update)


There is nothing to be made or wrong List for Unknwn:


This, Unknown Doomer is the real list above. It's less than half that size of the mess you posted below. Half of the "Errors" are no errors or even minor bugs - they are cosmetic issues and majority is intended that way. As a clanner not anything on screen is clean like in the IS builts. Clanners have no programers sitting behind the pc computer 24/7 to get presented perfect working HUD on the BF.

I show clearly that the list below is blown up - some missions are splitted into 3-5 lines to make the list look blown up below. Thats a bad habit and attitude to present it that way, but i will teach you better. I made a perfect list above. that's something i can work with.

RizZ over and out.[/list]
Title: Re: MCG Prometheus - Ideas, Reports & Suggestions
Post by: UnknDoomer on January 03, 2021, 11:44:47 am
Bugs, misc things that require some work around.

First of all. I've played during versions of 0.1E-H to 0.2 beta + with installed Lostech 0.82. No serious bugs or problems were found. As for less major things check list below.

0. In the briefings of a number of missions, 1,2,7,8,11,17,19,20,23,24,28,29,30,31,32,33 missing gaps / there are minor errors.

Perhaps I'll fix it later and upload new archive here.

[Bug][Nemo] 1. In mission 3, the allied Bushwacker has no ammo for LBX AC / 10.

[Bug][Nemo] 2. After mission 3, during the reconfiguration of the Bushwacker, crash with the loss of new weapons is possible. To avoid this do not try to remove the IS Medium Laser from one. Other components and the mech itself do not generate bugs.

3. LEYA pilot use configuration of the pilot Beast, which was originally male. At the same time, the sounds are taken from ISIS, as well as another new pilot. Nemo told that he don't have such error in his pack.

[Bug] 4. In mission 4 in the north, capturing one of the containers is close to impossible. This can only be done in a jump at a certain moment.

[Bug][Nemo] 5. Rommel tanks are sold at a negative price of -294 units. As a result you can buy 39 tanks at a time and still improve your financial situation. [Fixed].

6. Mission 5 description says Mad Cat will be in the northwest. In fact, it is located in the northeast.

7. In mission 5 the building to be captured is named "Underground Ammo Plant". It looks like a repair bay for tanks and has no name.

8. In the same mission you need to destroy the "Clan Spy Center", which is contrary to the essence of the campaign. Apparently RizZen was in a hurry and did not dwell on the intricacies of the mission and the remnants of the tasks moved straight from the map from The Repulse campaign (I suppose).

[Nemo] 9. Is MachineGun does not have a picture of the weapon itself.

0. Mission 6, base protection. During an attack on the command center it's image may disappear.

1. Fuel Truck has no description / name in mission 7. Same goes to several other missions.

[Bug][?] 12. Destruction of 1/3 of the enemy's SRM installations in mission 7 is enough to complete an additional task.

13. Mission 8. The headquarters has no name.

14. Similarly to point 8. Mission 9 has objectives from the old tasks of The Repulse era.

15. Enemy mechs in mission 9 use the old clan color.

16. Again the fuel truck and the building to be destroyed have no names.

17. 10 mission. again, the tasks refer to clan buildings, the headquarters has no name, the gas station has a part of the texture (original old bug?).

18. In mission 12 the south gate of the base is not attached to the control.

[Bug][Nemo] 19. In same mission the allied Centurion, by default, does not have ammunition for AC / 10, including after repair.

20. Mission 15. The same 2 errors that were previously encountered when copying missions from The Repulse by the author. Most of the enemy mechs are painted in the old clan color, the targets have no names.

21. Mission 16. Again there is a problem with the names of objects.

22. MIssion 17. The sensor tower in the north is not attached to the control.

23. Mission 20. There is no one mark on the tactical map before the start of the mission, although this is due to the fact that the enemy troops are scattered over the terrain, on the other hand, the task of moving to the point of withdrawal does not specifically appear in the description.

24. Mission 23. The destruction of enemy troops is designated as additional task, although it belongs to the main.

25. In the same mission it is indicated that capturing a building will result in the display of containers on the map. In fact, this does not happen + given the overview that the hills give, finding those is not a problem.

[?] 26. In 26 mission you need to capture the bunker. It contains nothing. It is not clear if this was planned or it was a mistake.

27. In mission 27, 3 turrets that are at the southern base at the gate are not attached to the control. 1 LRM turret is not attached at the northwest base. In the same mission the administrative building is named as the old one, i.e. as a clan.

[?] 28. In mission 28, you need to destroy 3 enemy buildings. It is not clear which ones are specific. 1 of them is a flight control tower, two others...

29. In the mission 29 the description states that you need to capture the clan data warehouses. Which is contrary to the essence, since data centers of the inner sphere.

[?] 30. Turrets at the base do not work.

31. In mission 30 two turrets are not connected to the controls at the western gate. This also applies to the 2 turrets in HQ and 2 control towers, which are not listed as allies.

[Idea] 32. The enemy has 35 'Mechs in mission 30. Although among them there are assault and 2 Mad Cat'a it's still has little chance of causing significant damage. It is better to make 3 waves attack at the same time, or, perhaps, all at once.

33. Mission 32. Another mistake in the description - destroy the clan building it says.

[?] 34. In the same mission in the northeast there is sensor control. What it controls is not clear in case there is only one sensor tower, judging by the map, in the northeast and the controls is located there as well.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: MCG Prometheus - Ideas, Reports & Suggestions
Post by: UnknDoomer on January 03, 2021, 11:52:34 am
Suggestions.

[UnknDoomer?] 0. Translate walkthrough on english https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/mechcommander-desperate-measures-proxozhdenie.93766/page-2#post-1698011 Same as, probably, some settings and things https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/mechcommander-mc2-mc2x-omnitech.93531/page-2#post-1698558

1. Fix an old bug with battle music that can randomly play during time where is no battles.

2. Add more new related music.

[Nemo?] 3. Make an 1 easter egg mission with clan "Ice Foxes" (UnknDoomer).

[Nemo?] 4. Later make an optionional thing to play campaign as 5 separate onces. I.e. 25,50,25,50,25 missions each one.

[Nemo?] 5. Add new mechs types.

6. Include LosTech by default in the build.

7. Include no-cd's by default.

[?] 8. Include russian language support. Currently there is archive that work with all separate packs more or less. Not big deal must be with Prometheus / DH. But there is a deal with LosTech combination. https://www.old-games.ru/game/download/get.php?fileid=9596&modal=1

[Nemo] 9. Make a new weapons not lost after exit from the game. It come really boring to store useful / rare things in mechs instead of sell them.

[Nemo?] 10. Main default random mechs you drop are AI controlled. As for example make group F3 one such. Limit tonnage. So you can combine some of yours / ally AI mechs to use.

11. XXL maps with up to 500 units per one.

12. Some maps with 2, not 1 friendly ally.

13. Update mission tasks during gameplay.

14. Include DxWnd as optional thing / solution for mouse, blackscreen, zoom, resolution troubles. Short manual from me:

Quote
If you have a problem with the mouse, when switching to full screen mode, a black screen appears, or there are problems with the zoom option in the game, that is, a new solution (the old method with ddraw.dll and "Run -> Maximized" for me personally stopped working).

1. Download the latest https://sourceforge.net/projects/dxwnd/
2. Unpack it to, for example, E: \ Games \ Old \ MechCommander \ MCG Prometheus \ v2_05_60_build \
3. Run dxwnd.exe.
4. Edit -> Add -> in the "Path" section select MCX.EXE. At the bottom, check the "Desktop" box.
5. Click "Try..." Now everything should work fine, incl. in "Zoom" option mode.
6. Close the game. Click "Options" -> "Expert" mode.
7. The MCX icon should appear in the program menu. Right click on it -> Proxy -> ddraw -> Yes -> Ok. Close DXWnd. If, upon closing, a window pops up stating that the list of tasks has changed, then click "yes".
8. Then you can always safely run through MCX.EXE. Several new files will appear in the folder, including dxwnd.dll, dxwnd.dxw, ddraw.dll.
Title: Suggestions - list reaction by RizZ
Post by: RizZen on January 04, 2021, 09:14:05 am
"First of all i would like to thank you again, doomer. I know we both love-hate each other - but i'm still optimistic that we can figure out a solution based on compromises that leads us to a better MechCommander, which is the task of all of us!"

Now let me leave some comments for YOUR suggestions made on me:

Title: I HAZ RIZZEN!
Post by: RizZen on January 04, 2021, 10:01:01 am
Suggestions i have!


This is my short list. There is much more i attempt - especially when we talk about scripting missions and the new mission content. Being delayed by things like the NGNG purge wasn't my only reason for NOT releasing 50 missions on x-mas. The missions i implement NEXT into that campaign will be of another manner from the first state on. This is because i reached a level in abl scripting now where i must begin to write my own game files to make things work and leave vanilla files still untouched. I did this during the development process several times on other game aspects.

I. One was the total recreation of all existing original missions - the basic 30 campaign missions and the 12 expansion missions - cause they where ALL stored in just ONE single FST file - which makes modding impossible to do with them. That starts even when you wanna just unzip or repack the files. The files where the original missions had been in contain several thousand files each - but one mission only contains 19 of them. That would have meant when i began modding MC in the first place - i always would like to have to update 30k files for making one update - each time again - and cMunsta tools are very limited in writing such big FST files. So i recreated them - wrote new files and took over all the abl scripts to make them work like the origin ones.

II. The second time i had to do it while developing Darkest Hours was when i reached mission 30 in the original campaign override - it couldn't be written further cause no files for a campaign longer than 30 missions existed. And problem with campaigns is - that you not only have to all the mission files and mission stuff - no the campaign structure itself is a file library itself with master list campaign files, purchase files and some other references that's been used by the engine. So i had to write about 60 purchase files from scratch and implement them into the whole by updating all reference links and lists in other files and in the master files.

III. The third time (still not finished with that) is the re-creation of all usermade campaigns for easier modding. The files can be modded easily now, too - but they have a naming procedure issue cause they all where made with the editor and never got renamed from their middion id code tag - that works like a fingerprint - cause different missions with the same name would have cause loading errors. I started to rewrite / rename all customermade missions, but never finished it yet... - 69 missions - that's allot to do.

3 of 69 usermade campaign missions i have already recreated (project stucked due to Prometheus development - that`s for later - or maybe necessary - cause i said its only cosmetic at all and missions itself won't change - only modability and naming procedure will be different!

IV. The fourth time is the present & future: I am writing brandnew mission scenarios on the existent dropship command missions that can be downloaded for vanilla mechcommander on sarna.net. First of all i had to remaster ALL of them by making them compatible to Darkest Hours and Prometheus tech bases and mixed tech - therefore any mission sol file needed and update. This procedure is done. The renaming procedure is ongoing. Prometheus Clan missions will be 200 of a count and they will although contain all the dropship command maps in them. Although the original scenarios can be played on them then - so players can play several scenarios on the same map base then - i found good working solutions for that.

33 of 200 missions are already written in this style.


As soon all of those above 4 TASKS are complete the next process of evolution can begin:

V.

Trimming game content and TOTALLY rewriting ALL *.FST & *.DPK source files (nothing will change for the players ingame content stays same). The game has 1.3 GigaByte in size. I wanna reduce it minimum by half cause most of the files that are content of Darkest Hours - as well as Prometheus are duplicates of files that aren't used by the game. It's blown up and i wanna bring it on a much more compact level of size. Therefore new music can be implemented then cause we get additional space options. I simply don't wanna release a 4GIG Prometheus one day!

The whole reason for point 5 being so important to me in spite of the fact that MechCommander still works fine on all systems: Better performance!

I wanna reduce the loading times, fps drops, all kind of lagging & other performance related issues game might have! This will although massively reduce the causes of "access violation errors" the most common thing MechCommanders playing with higher resolutions is familiar with. Reducing resolution in order to play and finish a mission should have an end then cause i try to enlarge the space MC engine uses for ingame actions and lower senseless looping routines in the background that makes game crash so often when we talk about limit breaking modability.

So therefore in the final phasis all duplicates of recreated or overrriden content from the original libraries will be cut out. And single mission ropes belonging to one certain campaign for example will be united into fst collectors then. So when this last process is finished main game folder will look a bit like the oiriginal again: a handful fst files (not like now - now we have about 500 single fst files) and trimmed original source files in size.
This new filestructure will make the whole game neat and clean then. It will be much easier for modders to abl script missions themselves then, cause naming procedures and file structure are made for modding purposes - for further developing - the original game was - compared to this an asbolute file desaster in the first place. And the original game was for that reason nearly impossible to mod. This will be different then.

Thank you for listening.

Anyone who read this and didn't played my MechCommander yet - it is time for retro RTS 2.5D isometric non base building x-com style stompy robot action!

Would you like to know more?

The holy MechCommander 1 Grale! (https://www.moddb.com/members/mcrizzen/blogs/mechcommander-1-gold-content-collection)

Now have fun, that's an order!

Regards RizZ


(https://i.imgur.com/kYMU6Yw.jpg)
Title: Re: MCG Prometheus - Ideas, Reports & Suggestions
Post by: UnknDoomer on January 06, 2021, 03:05:54 am
Suggestions. Additional list 1.

[Nemo?] 15. Type #3 of the artillery. Extra large artillery with carpet bombing.

Require special 1+1 units, mobile HQ + artillery car. Might used only once per unit. Use AI type artillery effect from Nemo's artillery modification + cover large space, say up to 100-200 meters range + carpet LRM effect from MC2.

16. Hard to proceed, I guess, still. Add an option to drop some tanks/repair support on the mission. Similar to MC2 / MC2X feature, but for money here. Prices are the same that are in store for them. Probably in some missions you can "hide" specific units that can be dropped on the map. Main problem here is that you will need the unit on specific location that player will choose, i.e. it's not pre-configurated one as turned off ally mechs and so.

By other hand, perhaps, in several missions some specific "drop zones" can be done, i.e. you can ask for support in, example, 2 places at the map, but not anywhere and "unhide" units there.

Another option for it - you place typical ally tanks/mechs/what ever. They are turned off. You enter specific supported "drop zone" -> pay the price -> got the unit, like a "shop on the battlefield".

[Nemo?] 17. Make an possibility to play campaign in cooperative mode and save the progress. Each player in that case can take 1 drop zone, F1 or F2, have separate mechbay, etc., i.e. everything is similar to multiplayer mode, but later need to:

17.1. Combine those folks to one team, not opposite onces.
17.2. Somehow make an ability to save further progress on one / both PC's to continue it later. Each player will have it's own results/resoures progress that somehow need to be saved.
Title: Re: MCG Prometheus - Ideas, Reports & Suggestions
Post by: UnknDoomer on January 07, 2021, 06:35:31 am
Bugs, misc things that require some work around. Update 1.

0. In the briefings of a number of missions, 1,2,7,8,11,17,19,20,23,24,28,29,30,31,32,33 missing gaps / there are minor errors.

Quote
When anyone sees any issues with the briefings, here: [MISSIONS.RAR]. Prometheus briefings for modding - meant to be put in mission folders
Quote
Erased some other description errors in briefings / HUD objectives in-mission: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 29, 32 & 33 (18 fixes for the issue IS vs Clan - missions all where originally made VS clan not VS is!) - done-

Perhaps some things might be left.


[Nemo] 1. In mission 3, the allied Bushwacker has no ammo for the LBX AC / 10.

[Nemo] 2. After mission 3, during the reconfiguration of the Bushwacker, there may be crash in case the loss of new weapons, which can only be stored in mechs. To avoid this do not try to remove the IS Medium Laser from one. Other components and the mech itself do not generate bugs.

[Nemo] 3. Is MachineGun does not have a picture of the weapon itself.

[Nemo] 4. Fuel Truck has no description in mission 7. And in total.

[Nemo] 5. The allied Centurion in mission 12 has no ammo for AC / 10 by default, incl. after repair.


6. LEYA pilot use configuration of the pilot Beast, which was originally male. At the same time, the sounds are taken from ISIS, as well as another new pilot.

7. Some buildings can have no name.

8. In Mission 12 the south gate of the base is not attached to the control.

9. Mission 15. The same 2 errors that were previously encountered when copying missions from The Repulse. Most of the enemy 'Mechs are painted in the old clan color, the targets have no names.

10. Mission 20. There is no one mark on the tactical map before the start of the mission, although this is due to the fact that the enemy troops are scattered across the terrain, on the other hand, the task of moving to the point of withdrawal does not specifically appear in the description.

11. Mission 23. The destruction of enemy troops is designated as additional task, although it belongs to the main.

12. Mission 23. It is indicated that capturing a building will result in the display of containers on the map. In fact, this does not happen + given the overview that the hills give, it is not a problem to find those.

13. Mission 29. Turrets at the base do not work.

14. Idea. The enemy has 35 mechs in mission 30. Although among them there are assault and 2 Mad Cat's, it still has little chance of causing significant damage. It is better to make 3 waves attack at the same time, or perhaps all at once.
Title: Re: MCG Prometheus - Ideas, Reports & Suggestions
Post by: UnknDoomer on January 11, 2021, 04:53:49 am
Suggestions. Additional list 2.

[Nemo?] 18. On the battlefield you can make a pick of which main task to complete. You can call it plot twist. As result next mission might be one or another. So to complete all missions player will require to play two times at least. This will add replayability. By other hand, harder to do, I guess, you can try MC2 option where you can pick up to 1 of 3 missions in sequence that you like, not the straight forward one.

19. In some missions you can drop APC's or small cars / tanks only. You need find dumps / repair bays around with different kind of mechs. Say one map / place can have up to 5-10 to take, but you can pick only 3. Make your choice carefully.
Title: Re: MCG Prometheus - Ideas, Reports & Suggestions
Post by: Fenjx on February 25, 2021, 03:40:43 am
Hi RizZ,
nice work on modding MechCommander!
I encounter a bug in MC Prometheus mission OP1 mission 12 (Clan0112). After the loading screen appears, the game crashes with "ASSERT (FFFFFFFD  Could not start Warrior Brain) Address  : 0x00734303”
Missions 1 to 11 work flawlessly...
I'm using MCG_Prometheus_v0.2Beta + 000_MCG_Prometheus_Patch_v0.2a.

Update: It is working now with the version of Clan0112 from v0.2Beta! I just only copied the mission file from v0.2Beta into my MechCommander_Prometheus game folder.
Update2: Same with Clan0115.

Greetings
Fenjx